Jessica Heims is national field-event athlete of the year

Prairie alum was a discus gold medalist at junior world championships

Cedar Rapids Prairie track athlete Jessica Heims throws the discus during practice in 2015. Now a freshman at UNI, Heims was named co-recipient of the U.S. Paralympics Track & Field High School field-event female athlete of the year by USA Track and Field. (The Gazette)

Former Cedar Rapids Prairie athlete Jessica Heims has been named a co-recipient of the U.S. Paralympics Track & Field High School field-event female athlete of the year by USA Track and Field.

Heims, 19 and now a freshman at UNI, collected the gold after throwing 27.47 meters in the women’s discus and took home a bronze on the track in the women’s T44 200 meters at the junior world championships in Nottwil. She is a four-time Paralympic all-American.